Chapter 20

"--Are the lives of commoners precious, while the lives of ninja are worthless?"

Senju Hashirama looked bewildered. "What..."

Before the words could fade, their expressions shifted simultaneously. They locked eyes, both seeing the gravity reflected in the other's gaze. Madara waved his hand, shattering the window, and vaulted out of the room; Hashirama followed instantly, landing on the rooftop. A thunderous explosion erupted immediately, tearing through the city gate and cascading down the West Street, causing countless wooden houses to collapse.

Chaos ensued. Ninja leaped to higher ground to evade the blasts, while ordinary people, having nowhere to hide, scrambled in panic amidst screams and wailing. Looking down from above, the entire town was choked with acrid dust and smoke.

"At least a thousand explosive tags. A grand gesture indeed!" Madara narrowed his eyes, his natural authority radiating outward. The frigid pressure was so intense that Uchiha Etsu, Uchiha Zhi, and the Senju clansmen who had rushed over dared not approach. His mind raced to analyze the situation—who? Who would deliberately choose this moment to cause trouble? What was the objective?

"Hashirama, gather the Senju ninja who use Water Release to extinguish the tags! Zhi, investigate the suspects, capture them, and I want them alive! Etsu, take the medical ninja and the people from the Nara clan to assist the injured ninja and commoners. Those uninjured are to clear the streets! I don't want to see this mess after noon!"

Senju Hashirama did not quibble over his commanding tone. He summoned his clansmen to arrange the tasks, then turned to Madara. "The Senju have medical ninja too. Let's go together!"

The ninja acted swiftly upon receiving their orders, washing the town's main streets with Water Release techniques. The medical ninja occupied an open space to treat the wounded; seventy percent of the casualties were commoners. The major clans, including the Senju and Uchiha, were staying in key properties owned by the Merchant Alliance, which maintained strict personnel management, resulting in minimal impact. Under orderly rescue efforts, the chaotic scene gradually subsided.

Wails echoed in his ears, and he stepped over bloodstains. Madara pursed his lips, his expression unreadable as he lowered his gaze, his long lashes veiling the killing intent in his eyes. The security of the negotiation site was supposed to be a joint responsibility of the Uchiha and the Senju, yet such a massive oversight had occurred! Good! Very good! Before he could even laugh at the Hyuga, his own side had become the laughingstock!

"Yan, send word to draw funds from the family treasury to compensate the town residents for their losses. All medical expenses for those injured in this incident are to be waived." Reputation—he would salvage whatever he could. Madara had already begun darkly planning to shift all negative repercussions onto the unknown perpetrator. If you dare to undermine me, you might as well provide some final value to the Uchiha clan before you die, you bastard!

"The Senju clan will also take half the responsibility." Senju Hashirama walked over, his expression grave. "Madara, have you caught the perpetrator?"

Madara steadied himself, suppressing his killing intent, his expression indifferent. "He won't be able to escape... Yan, is there any news from Zhi?"

Uchiha Yan replied respectfully, "The Fourth Elder already has a lead."

"Take me there. Hashirama, you come along too. After all, your Senju clan has been affected as well."

"Clan Head?!" The moment Uchiha Zhi saw Madara, his brows drooped, and his already messy short hair was ruffled even further. Seeing him like this, Madara asked, "Caught him?"

"...Yes."

"Is it tricky?"

Uchiha Zhi lowered his head and muttered, "No... I failed in my defense duties. Please punish me, Clan Head!" With that, Uchiha Zhi suddenly knelt on one knee to plead for mercy.

He had been responsible for the family's security, never expecting to stumble in such a small place! Lord Cang! Lord Tai! Etsu! Even that unreliable Masahiko would do! Someone, come save me! If the Clan Head knows the truth, he will definitely kill me!

Madara cast a suspicious glance at him and bypassed him to enter the room where the prisoner was being held. Then... Madara widened his eyes in a rare display of shock, and the following Senju Hashirama also opened his mouth, at a loss for words.

...Uchiha Zhi desperately wanted to scratch the back of his head, laugh three times, and say "Just passing through, haha" before fleeing the scene!

"It's him?"

"Yes, Clan Head!"

Someone who usually showed little emotional fluctuation was even more terrifying when angry. At this moment, Uchiha Uchiha Madara wore a smile that didn't reach his eyes, the chill in his dark pupils piercing. Even the thick-skinned Uchiha Zhi dared not speak.

"You ninja! You are all beasts living off human blood! You are demons! Demons!"

"You killed my son! You caused my grandson's death! My home is gone! My village is gone! Only this old man is left!"

"I'm not afraid anymore! Come! Come! I'm not afraid of you! Let's all die together! Demons!!"

He had guessed many possibilities, but never that the perpetrator would be a gaunt old man without a shred of chakra. The old man was still struggling while being pinned down, cursing the ninja with bloodshot eyes. The ninja monitoring the incoming personnel had fallen into a trap of conventional thinking, far too dismissive of ordinary people.

Madara wouldn't bicker with an old man; he himself had reservations about the ninja way of life, though he said nothing due to his lineage and status. But he wasn't naive enough to believe this old man was the source of the incident.

Over a thousand explosive tags. Could a destitute commoner afford that?

This old man had been used as a pawn, albeit a willing one. But to be able to slip into the ninja gathering place under the watch of so many, and to plant a thousand tags so covertly... there was a traitor among the participating clans.

There had been no news of large-scale explosive tag purchases in the market for the past six months... Behind the scenes, there had to be a major ninja clan capable of manufacturing their own tags, one skilled in using Fire Release chakra.

The destruction couldn't cause a substantial obstacle to the negotiations, at most a slight blow to their reputation. Those with the leisure and money to do such a thing... there was likely a noble accomplice. They had probably prepared follow-up measures as well...

Various deductions flashed through his mind, all occurring in a single instant.

"Zhi, you are responsible for security. The prisoner is yours to handle. Dispose of him according to the rules." Endangering safety, sabotaging operations, harming the innocent—by the rules, the only outcome was death, regardless of the clan.

Madara's tone was so calm that Uchiha Zhi was almost flattered. He stole a glance at the cold, faint smile on Madara's lips, the black pupils that seemed to say "wait for it" in the left eye and "settling accounts later" in the right. His heart trembled, and he wilted again.

"Wait." Hashirama stopped him. "Madara, he was just being used..."

Madara curled his lips; it seemed Hashirama's compassion had been stirred. True, an old man who had lost his family, been used, and posed no threat—there was indeed little to argue about. But since he dared to cause destruction within his sphere of influence, even if he didn't die, he had to be prepared to be used until his end.

"Hashirama, if a ninja caused massive destruction to the order of an important occasion, what would you do?"

"Interrogate first, then deal with it." The standard practice in the ninja world.

"Then, if an ordinary person used explosive tags to kill many innocent people on the roadside, what would you do?"

Hashirama realized the point. "Madara, that's not the same thing. The old man was used—"

"Yes, used. Without him, there would be others. But he chose this path himself, so he must be prepared to bear the consequences. Those people outside who were injured or even died—whether commoners or ninja—are they not innocent? Having a reason doesn't mean one is exempt from the price." Madara frowned. "Or do you think that ninja harming commoners is bullying the weak, while commoners harming ninja is righteous revenge?"

--Are the lives of commoners precious, while the lives of ninja are worthless? Hashirama suddenly understood the meaning behind Madara's earlier words. He wanted to say something, but looking at his own reflection in the midnight-like eyes approaching his, he froze.

"And speaking of revenge. Who in this world is without sin? You have them, and I do too. A ninja's hands are stained with blood; we—all deserve to die. But who gave us the right to revenge? Ordinary people hunt other creatures to survive; should those creatures seek revenge?"

"Senju Hashirama, what I truly want to know is, in your eyes, what kind of existence is a 'ninja'? An executioner or an arbiter? If you don't figure that out, the peace you want will always be an illusion."

Hashirama fell silent for a long time. "Madara... you—let me think about it."

"As you wish." Madara glanced at the old man. "He is yours to deal with. The stack of documents I brought is at your lodging. There is less than an hour until the negotiations; you should look them over first. There are still matters to attend to on the Uchiha side, so I'll be going!"